The Light in Her Eyes
by Lady Eivel
Summary: When Anakin is knighted, he also recieves a Padawan of his own, but will she be able to stop his descent into darkness? AniAmi NOT AN ANAKINOC!
1. From Padawan to Master

Summary: When Anakin is knighted, he also receives a Padawan of his own. Will she be able to stop his descent into darkness?

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Please don't sue- I have no money anyway so you wouldn't get anything. Karys and Katie belong to me though.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Karys collapsed on the metal floor of the small practice room. "Oh bummer- I'll NEVER be able to manage this new trick," she sighed, as Katie, her best friend, helped her to her feet.

"Hey, no-one's perfect at everything," Katie reassured her friend "After all, whenever we learn another language- you are ALWAYS better than me…"

"I know," snapped Karys irritably (it's very hard not to be at least a little put out if you have repeatedly been falling onto a relatively hard floor for several minutes).

"I was only trying to help…" murmured Katie "Come on," she added "Let's start getting back to the dorms now- if we stay here much longer, the grown-ups will be wondering where we are."

"Sorry, I can't. I have to see the Council in," she checked the chrono above the door "Oh Force- ten minutes!"

"Good luck, then" Katie looked worried- the Council had a reputation amongst the younglings and padawans for being very scary "May the Force be with you!"

"You too. Seeya later!" Karys frowned as her best friend left the room. Then she turned and hurried off to get changed.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A few minutes later, she was standing in the lift, heading up towards the Chambers. Her nervousness grew with every passing moment. She wondered why the council wanted to see her. Probably because of her pranks, which she loved pulling on the adults at every available opportunity. Maybe they had decided she wasn't fit to be a Jedi, and she was going to go to AgriCorps instead! Her fear levels rose with the lift as she completed the journey to her destination.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Rise Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight!" Yoda's voice proclaimed the words Anakin had wanted to hear all his life.

He stood up, elation surging through every fibre of his being. He was a Jedi! A proper Jedi- not just a Padawan anymore! Bowing, he turned to leave.

"Stay, young Skywalker. Go yet, you cannot." Yoda's insistent voice stopped him. Anakin turned.

"Is there something else Masters?" The Council all looked pointedly at Obi-Wan, who smiled as he turned to his friend.

"Well, Anakin" he was grinning now "It took a long time to discuss, and some people needed a bit of persuasion to even begin discussing it, but…

"But?"

"You're going to get a Padawan." It took a few moments for that to sink in.

"A Padawan?"

"Must you repeat? Yes, a Padawan. We've found one that, I think, will suit you." He waved his hand and Anakin heard the door to the Chamber open behind him. Obi-Wan smiled at someone over Anakin's shoulder.

"Padawan Karys, I would like you to meet your new master, Anakin Skywalker." Anakin heard a gasp. He turned to see a young human girl standing in the doorway. She looked to be about ten. Neither tall nor short, even a Force-blind being could tell she was shocked, simply by looking at her face. He imagined he looked a bit stunned too.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Karys stood in shock, looking at her new Master. _'I got Anakin Skywalker. I got Anakin Skywalker' _repeated over and over in her mind, refusing to actually sink in. **Everyone** wanted Anakin for a Master, and she had actually got him!

Anakin looked a little surprised as well. He had, after all, only just become a Knight and having a Padawan was a big responsibility. Still, Master Kenobi had done a pretty good job of training Anakin, or Master Skywalker as she guessed she should call him now, and he'd begun training him when he'd only just been Knighted. And _everyone_ knew Master Skywalker was more powerful than Master Kenobi, so it was obvious Master Kenobi had trained him well.

Master Kenobi's voice broke into her thoughts "Anakin, you will keep your current quarters, but Karys will have a room in them from now on. You'd better go get settled."

Master Skywalker bowed. Karys copied before following him out of the Council Chamber. After a while, her new Master's long strides became too much for her to keep up with and she called for him to stop for a moment. Master Skywalker turned, an amused smile on his face as he watched his new Padawan scramble to his side.

"Sorry. Guess I'm too used to Master Kenobi being able to keep up with me."

"I'm a little shorter than Master Kenobi." She gasped. Master Skywalker chuckled.

"I'll try to slow down in future," he replied, sounding a little more serious.

"Don't worry- I want to have running practice until my legs grow" this made her new Master laugh.

"We're almost there- just a few more corridors. Reckon you can manage?" he was teasing her now. She simply smirked back. Laughing, the two of them headed down the few halls left to go.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Anakin Skywalker's quarters were laid out as any normal Jedi's, but instead of leaving it there, he'd put in several different decorative items, all exotic. It wasn't expensive, but it looked really nice.

"Wow" was all Karys could say as she looked around.

"Like it?"

"Yeah, but" she gulped "I thought Jedi rooms were meant to be simple?"

"Never liked that idea. I used to annoy Obi-Wan so much when I shared his rooms by bringing stuff back from off-world missions. He used to insist I put it all in my room- which became a small treasure trove after a while. At least here I have space to spread it all out."

"It's really cool" Karys said, meaning all three words. She liked her new Master's individuality. Said Master smiled.

"Glad you like it. Now, your room should be somewhere along here. There's a room that's always been locked- it might be for you…" It was. The cleaner droid had prepared it, unlocked it and brought all Karys's stuff down from the dorms. This relieved her, as she didn't know where she was and she imagined it would have taken her a while to bring her clothes and saber down, more because she would probably have gotten lost along the way than her having a lot of stuff- which she didn't.

"Get yourself sorted out. Dinner's a couple of hours, so you'll have plenty of time. I have to visit someone now, but it should only take an hour or so and I'll be right back, 'kay?"

"Fine by me. You're the Master round here anyways" This made Anakin grin. Karys felt his happiness surge through the Force- he seemed to like being the Master. He left her to get sorted out.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Padmé stood on the veranda of her apartment, wondering why Anakin had been called to the Jedi Council Chambers at such short notice. She looked at the sky, and saw a familiar Jedi starfighter wing its way towards her. It looked like her questions were about to be answered.

As soon as it had landed, Anakin jumped out. He was looking cheerful as he strode towards her, a grin plastering his face. He hadn't looked so happy since before his mother died. Padmé wondered why.

"Let's go inside- I have a lot to tell you" he announced, slightly breathlessly, before leading her into the apartment.

"So what's happened my love?" she asked as soon as they were inside.

"Can't you tell?" he replied, moving his head to one side as he did so. Then she noticed- his braid was gone.

"You're… You've been…"

"Knighted, yeah!" he laughed in sheer joy "And there's something else too."

"What?"

"They gave me a Padawan!"

"Already? Wow- Ani, that's amazing!" Padmé knew that it usually took years for a Knight to obtain a Padawan- and yet Anakin had one already "What's their name?"

"Her name's Karys."

"A girl? Why?"

"Why not?" He smiled down at her "She's not going to come between us. She doesn't know, and I'm not planning on telling her. Besides, she's only about ten. It'll be fine. Trust me" any reply from Padmé was smothered as the love of her life leant in for a long, passionate kiss.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Karys felt her Master's presence draw nearer to the small living area they now shared. "Right on time" she muttered, looking up at the clock. It had been almost exactly an hour since he'd left. She wondered who he'd been to see, then pushed the thought away. It wasn't her business.

Master Skywalker came in, smiling. He never seemed to stop smiling now- and his grin was infectious. Karys couldn't help but smile back.

"Let's get dinner ready then, shall we?" it wasn't really a question. "You like that?" he pointed to the piece of pottery Karys was looking at. She nodded.

"From Naboo. Loads of beautiful stuff there. I love going, though it's been about two years since I last went there. It's an amazing place- I'll take you sometime." Karys smiled.

"I'd like that. So- what's for dinner Master?"

"Erm... Well, let's see what we can find. You any good at cooking?"

"Not really"

"Makes two of us then. So- let's see what mess we can concoct and call it dinner." His grin became even broader as he led her towards the kitchen and Karys couldn't help smiling as well.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Like it? Hate it? Constructive criticism is welcome, flames aren't. Please review! This is likely to be my first long Star Wars fic. Next chapter up soon!


	2. Chancellor Palpatine

Summary: When he is knighted, Anakin also receives a Padawan. But will she stop his descent to darkness or aid it?

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. If I did, I would have written it like this rather than writing all that soap-style fluff in Episode Three.

A/N Thanks to all those who read this. Even greater thanks to those who reviewed- you don't know how much it means to me to log on and see the 'Review alert' button in my inbox.

Gizzi1213: Thanks for your interest. Having read over the chapter, I realise that Karys _is_ a bit too Earth-type. Hoping to remedy that- but she is meant to be a little different. Most things will be explained in the next few chapters. I also enjoy Anakin-centric fics, whether angsty or not. There will be some angst though, but I'll try to keep it down for now.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Palpatine frowned as he looked over the reports on his desk. He was entitled, as Supreme Chancellor, to receive daily updates from the Jedi Temple. This latest one was not at all to his liking. The reports included who had been knighted, and who had received Padawans.

The fact that Anakin's name was on both lists rather interfered with his plans. Anakin was meant to be knighted, but this was far too early! And the fact that he had a Padawan showed the Jedi's trust in him. Anakin was meant to think the Jedi did not trust him so he'd turn to the Dark and get revenge.

But maybe Palpatine could work on this new fact. Although the idea would have seemed preposterous to any normal person, maybe Anakin could be made to think that what's-her-name could have been planted as a spy! He could carefully tell Anakin that maybe, just maybe the Council was getting suspicious of his private life. And he could just drop a hint that the new 'Padawan' had orders to spy on him, to report back to the Council. Oh, and lightly refer to the fact that whatever happened, she'd cut down on the already limited time he could spend with Padme.

Palpatine smiled. Yes, maybe the new situation wasn't so bad after all…

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Karys finally grew tired. Having pelted Anakin with a bombardment of questions about nearly every subject she seemed to be able to think of, she leant back in her chair.

"Finished?" Anakin asked amusedly. At Karys's nod, he continued "Better do a bit of meditation. C'mon, I'll show you the way to the hall of a thousand fountains from here. Best place to meditate, in my opinion." But as they were leaving, Anakin's holocomm buzzed. "'Scuse me for a moment," he apologised. "Yes?" An image of Obi-Wan flickered to life.  
"Hello Anakin. How's Karys?"  
"She's fine. We were just going to meditate."  
"Meditation may have to wait. It seems the Chancellor would like to see you Anakin. I believe he heard about your knighting and about Karys too. He says he'd like to congratulate you in person."  
"Ok. I'll head over there then."  
"Be careful Anakin. There is a dangerous darkness in the Force, especially around the Chancellor."  
"I'll be fine. May the Force be with you."  
"May the Force be with you." The image flickered and died.

"Well, looks like another while sitting here all by myself then." Anakin looked at Karys as though she was crazy.  
"Not yet. You're coming too. You'll like the Chancellor. C'mon. Speeder bay's along here." And with that, they left.

The ride to Chancellor Palpatine's office was dull. The redrobes in the transport that had been sent weren't very talkative, and the atmosphere was quietly tense. Karys felt it, and she did not like it. By the looks of it, Anakin wasn't having a blast either. Eventually, they got to the landing platform and Karys jumped out, relieved at first to be away from the oppressive presences of the guards. However, her relief was short-lived. The place did not stink of the dark side, but there was something she definitely did not like about it.

Anakin, however, seemed to be right at home. "Next time we come, I'll make sure we take our own speeder. And I'll drive. It's much more fun that way," Master and Padawan shared grins. Karys had heard of Anakin's amazing piloting skills and was eager to see if the rumour were real.

"It is true you jumped out of a speeder so you'd land on an assassin? And do you really do flips? And go through power couplings? Can you show me how to do it? Please?" Anakin laughed at her enthusiasm. Karys seemed to be a lot of fun. Obi-Wan was right- his Padawan really did suit him.

"Probably. After all, with this war on, you'll have to learn how to fly a starfighter and it's always best to start with things that aren't too far off the ground. Having said that, if it's just two people then there's not much to crash into in a starfighter. Well, if you're in the right place at the right time anyway. But that'll have to wait- the Chancellor may be getting impatient." At the mention of the Chancellor, Karys straightened her robes nervously (she wasn't used to wearing a robe, having simply worn a tunic and trousers until now). She'd never met a person of such high rank before, very few non- politicians ever did. Well, except for the Jedi Council. But they were almost politicians, so they didn't really count. Her thoughts were interrupted by the Chancellor calling for them to enter.

"Ah, Anakin. So good to see you again. And this young lady is…?"  
"Chancellor, this is Karys. Karys, meet Chancellor Palpatine." Karys was suddenly tongue-tied. She had a reputation in the Temple for being a chatterbox, but now she was meeting the most important man in the galaxy, her voice failed her completely.

"Ah yes, I heard you were given a Padawan. Is this her?"

"Yes," Anakin replied.

"And I think '_her_' might prefer being talked to as if she was actually there." Karys had found her voice, but almost as soon as she had blurted the sentence out, she regretted it. She felt her Master's disapproval through the Force, and Palpatine glared at her for a moment

"Fair enough Kayli…"

"Karys"

"Karys. Now, I'd like to talk to your Master in private, if I may." Karys nodded hesitantly in acknowledgement "You may wait here." Karys kept her face in a carefully blank mask, although her dislike and distrust of the Chancellor was now stronger than ever. The two men went into the next room, which she assumed must be the Chancellor's private office. The door closed.

Karys sighed and turned towards the window.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Anakin, first of all, I want to congratulate you. Your knighthood was well deserved. I have said it before and I will say it again- you are the most powerful Jedi I have ever met."  
Thank you Chancellor,"  
"One thing troubles me. Why don't the Council send such a promising knight as you out to fight? You belong out there, serving the Republic. Not staying at home to teach an insolent child,"  
"I apologise for my Padawan's behaviour, Chancellor. It is not like her at all,"  
"But why is she your Padawan? Why are you not fighting for the good of the Republic? Why aren't the Jedi recognising your unique skills and power and using them?"  
"I don't know. Maybe they think…" but Anakin couldn't finish. He couldn't find the words to finish with.  
"Exactly. And has it never occurred to you that, after distrusting you for so long, they are giving you a Padawan this early? Maybe it's still a question of trust. Karys may just side with the Council when it comes to your personal life. Who knows? Maybe she has been, oh I don't know, given orders to watch you?"  
"But she looked as surprised as anyone when we found out we were being paired…"  
"Anakin, Anakin…" the Chancellor sounded like a parent patiently explaining that one plus one equals two or something like that. "Has everything I told you gone right through? There is such a thing as acting, you know."  
"But if there was deception, I'd sense it…"  
"If it had been the child alone then yes, you would have sensed it easily. But if it was the council's plan, then they may have helped her a little… Of course, I may be wrong, but if I were you, I'd watch out," Anakin nodded, although none of it made sense. If Karys was interested in spying on him, then wouldn't she have asked about where he'd been going last night? Or maybe she'd wanted an excuse to snoop around…  
"I'll keep an eye on her, Chancellor,"

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Karys looked round as the door opened again. Anakin and the Chancellor walked in. She sensed something about them. She could tell they were hiding something, but couldn't put her finger on it.

"Enjoying the view?" he Master strolled up to her side.  
"Yes. It's spectacular from up here, you can practically see half of Coruscant!"  
"We'd better go. Goodbye Chancellor. May the Force be with you," Karys copied his last statement and the two of them moved towards the door.

As they left, Palpatine smiled. Yes, the child may just be useful after all. She was a annoying little brat, and he'd enjoy killing her when her usefulness was over, but she'd be quite good for his plans for now…

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Honestly Karys, I don't know what's got into you! Why were you so rude to the Chancellor earlier?" Anakin reprimanded her once they were back at the Temple.  
"Master, I appreciate it was wrong, but there's something bad about the Chancellor. The dark side surrounds him and I neither like, nor trust him,"  
"The Chancellor is a good man. He's doing his best to hold the Republic together at a time when it has become very hard to do so. Anyway, he's always been good to me. Maybe if you were a little nicer to him, he'd be nicer back," Anakin retorted. Karys could tell from his tone of voice that any more argument was useless.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Ok, new review thing. This chapter has to get at least three reviews before I post the next one.


	3. Nightmares

Disclaimer: If I owned this stuff, I wouldn't need to put a disclaimer here.

A/N Thanks to all those who reviewed. I'm sorry for hanging it over your head (I think that's what someone said), but I got a reallylousy response to the first chapter. Again, sorry for that. Here's the next chapter.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Parry and lunge and parry and _block!_" Anakin instructed. The last word was a yell as his lightsaber nearly cut through Karys's shoulder, an occurrence which was only prevented by Anakin deactivating it just in time.

"Sorry… Master…" Karys gasped. They had been working non-stop all morning on lightsaber techniques and she was very tired. Her Master noticed her exhaustion.

"C'mon. That's enough for one day. Go and get changed and meet me in the Hall of a Thousand Fountains," Karys nodded as he left. Then she staggered over to the changing rooms. She had been Anakin's Padawan for almost a month now, and had quickly learnt how demanding he was when it came to lightsaber skills. Especially when compared to his attitude on other things, which was pretty relaxed. He really wasn't like most Jedi masters.

Made him even better, then.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Karys's eyes blinked open. It was an annoying thing that had happened to her every night since that horrible day when she was five. The nightmares had stopped, with the aid of her masters, but this additional repercussion of those fateful events had never left her. Every night, around midnight, she'd wake up. The only thing to do when it happened was to lie there and wait for sleep to return. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't.

An odd sound came to her ears. She strained her ears, listening. "No! Padme! NO!" She sat up. Sliding out of bed, she walked over to her door and into the hallway outside. The yells were coming from her Master's room. Curious, and a little apprehensive, she softly opened the door.

Anakin was thrashing about on the bed. Suddenly he sat bolt upright, breathing hard. He looked round and his eyes fell on Karys, who was still standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. He looked angry, and a little surprised. Well, that was to be expected. Anyone would have those emotions if they wake to find someone watching them, especially if they've only known that someone for a month.

"I couldn't sleep, Master. I heard you yelling, so I came to see what the problem was."

"It's nothing."

"Nothing doesn't get the Chosen One yelling blue murder in the middle of the night."

"It's NOTHING!" Anakin shouted. Karys jumped back a little, startled by this new side of her Master. He'd been a bit shifty around her sometimes, but he'd never raised his voice at her unless she, with her typical clumsiness, nearly got impaled during lightsaber practice and the angry outburst she had just recieved scared her.

"S-sorry." she whispered, backing away. When she was out of the room, she closed the door and slowly headed back to bed. Despite her Master's outburst, she was pretty sure it wasn't just nothing. As she slipped under the covers, she made a mental note to find out who Padme was.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

By the time Karys woke up, Anakin had gone. It didn't make much difference to her- in fact, it helped. She'd been racking her brains for an excuse to visit Anakin's old Master, in the hope that he'd be able to help her understand some of what had happened the previous night. She didn't really know the way, but someone had to. She just needed to ask. She pulled on her cloak and boots and quickly went outside.

After a bit of asking around she had managed to find out where Kenobi's quarters were. The Council, as far as she knew, wasn't in session today, so he should be free. She walked up to his door and knocked. After a while, Kenobi answered.

"Why, hello Karys. How is Anakin?"

"Well, Anakin's kinda the one I'm here to talk about." Kenobi nodded.

"Come on in." he said, leading the way into a set of rooms that were sparsly furnished. Although there were a couple of ornaments dotted around, Karys definitely preferred Anakin's rooms to the general blandness of this area. Obi-Wan motioned for her to sit down.

"Now, what's the matter?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well, I was just wondering. Did Anakin ever have any nightmares while he was your Padawan?"

"Yes. They were about his mother- in pain and dying. Eventually, Anakin went to find her, but he was too late. But since then, he's been pretty peaceful in his sleep, as far as I know. Why do you ask?"

"Well, last night I couldn't sleep. I heard him yelling and when I went to his room, he was tossing and turning. He was saying something about Padme. D'you know who he's talking about, 'cos it's not a name I'm familiar with." Obi-Wan frowned.

"Are you sure it was Padme?"

"Yes." Obi-Wan furrowed his brow in thought. Karys sat in silence, she'd seen plenty of adults do this and had quickly learnt not to say anything when it happened.

"Karys, let me tell you about some events that happened a few years ago..."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A/N The conversation was a bit weird. I wasn't planning for this chapter to happen like that, but it did. Please review and I won't hang it over your heads this time!


	4. Revelations and anger

A/N Thanks to all my lovely reviewers! Readers too of course, but reviews show me you guys actually care about the stuff I'm writing and it really helps. The last events in this chapter are what put the rating up. Don't worry- it won't go any higher.Sorry it's a bit short, but I really wanted to do another cliffhanger. Next chapter will be longer- promise!Without further ado…

Chapter Four

"Just before the start of the Clone Wars, Anakin and I were assigned to protect a senator from Naboo. Her name was Padmé, and Anakin had had a childhood crush on her. When we met her again, after ten years of being apart, his crush returned and blossomed into love, which she returned. Even though the galaxy was in turmoil, they only really seemed to have eyes for each other.'

'Just after we met up, Anakin was assigned his first solo mission- protecting Padmé on her home planet of Naboo while I was sent to discover the person behind an assassination attempt on the senator. Instead of obeying his mandate, he went to find his mother, as he had been troubled by visions of her dying on their home planet of Tatooine. They got there too late and Anakin's mother died in his arms. Padme was a great source of comfort and I think those events brought them much closer. They ended up trying to save my neck, but they only managed to get captured and even as they were led out to be killed, they only had eyes for each other."

"So he fell in love? Even though it's forbidden?"

"Yes, but there's no-one quite like Anakin for breaking rules." Karys thought for a moment.

"Erm, Master, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"Why aren't Jedi allowed to love? Why does the Code allow no passion?"

"Because love leads to fear, fear leads to anger, anger to hate, and hate to suffering." Karys frowned.

"Sorry if I seem rude, but I wanted your own answer."

"What?"

"Your own answer to the question. That's the one written in most books in the library, you just repeated it word-for-word and I didn't want a 100th-hand answer…" she trailed off when the saw the look of shock on Obi-Wan's face. "Sorry. Guess that was a bit out of line." She muttered.

"Are you always like that, or is Anakin rubbing off on you?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Both, I reckon." She said, grinning. Obi-Wan's mouth gave into his own smile.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

By the time Karys got back, Anakin was in their quarters. He shot her a quizzical look as she entered.

"Just visiting somebody."

"Who?"

"Erm, Katie."

"Don't lie. Who was it really?" Karys gulped, realising she'd have to reveal who it was she'd been to see. She had meant to keep it private, but it seemed she'd have to spill the beans.

"Master Obi-Wan."

"Why?"

"Oh… just… talking." She said hesitantly.

"About?" Karys thought hard, trying to find a way to change the subject.

"Master, who's Padme?"

0-0-0

Anakin grew ever more suspicious and now Padme had been mentioned, the Chancellor's words came back to him _'Karys may just sied with the Council on your personal life… Maybe she has been given orders to watch you.'_

"How do you know about Padme?" he asked.

"Oh, just something Master Obi-Wan said. And you were yelling for her last night…"

"What do you know about her?"

"She's a senator from Naboo. And you call for her in your nightmares." Seething, Anakin walked forward to stand directly in front of his Padawan, so that he towered over her.

"There's something you're hiding from me. What did Obi-Wan tell you?"

"Nothing, seriously…"

"DON'T LIE!" he yelled. His mechanical arm clenched.

0-0-0

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. He had been meditating, but something had told him he should go check on Anakin and Karys. Curious, he stood up and moved in the direction of his ex-Padawan's quarters.

0-0-0

Karys stood in her Master's shadow. He was yelling again, and it scared her even more now she was in very close proximity to him. She noticed how angry he was, and felt it. A shiver ran down her back and she prayed that he wouldn't do anything bad to her.

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. She gasped for air, but got none. Her hands went to her throat.. Her vision was fading rapidly… she couldn't feel her hands or feet… the last thing she heard above the rushing of blood in her ears was someone yelling…

Then everything went black.


	5. Aftermath of Anger

A/N Last chapter was an evil cliffhanger I know- but then again, evil is seriously underrated. Anyways, it gets you to read ;) Wanna know what's happened to poor Karys? Read on to…

Chapter Five

Obi-Wan hurriedly typed in the code for Anakin's door- being Anakin's ex-master, he knew what it was. He wasn't a moment too soon- the first thing he heard was Karys choking. He raced forward. Karys collapsed, revealing Anakin's clenched fist. Obi-Wan stared in horror at his ex-Padawan, who stood over the child's body with anger plainly written all over his features and positively screaming through the Force.

"What have you done?" Obi-Wan demanded. Anakin looked up.

"You… you turned her against me! She was spying on me for you- admit it!" he yelled back. Obi-Wan was stunned for a moment.

"You are really an idiot sometimes Anakin- why would we spy on you? We gave you a Padawan because we" _or at least, I_ he thought to himself "thought you were ready! Clearly I was wrong to put such trust in you. I promise, it won't happen again." He stepped over to where Karys lay. He put his fingers to her neck, relieved to find a weak pulse there. He began to lift her into his arms.

0-0-0

Anakin stared in shock, all his rage vanishing as Obi-Wan's words sank in and realisation of what he had just done hit. It hit hard. He noticed Obi-Wan carrying Karys off, and felt ashamed, like he had after the Tusken Camp.

"Wait!" he called after the retreating back. Obi-Wan turned.

0-0-0

The slow ascent to a pain-filled reality dragged Karys out of her black, painless world. Her throat and head ached, and she felt thirsty. She forced her eyes open, aiming to get a glass of water and then return to blissful unconsciousness.

It was just her luck that Obi-Wan decided to come in as she was getting up.

"Oh no you don't." he admonished, giving her a gentle Force shove onto her back. "You've been Force-choked, you're not going anywhere for a while. You're lucky to be alive." Memories started coming back, including one very scary one. She tried to say something, but her throat was too dry and all that her attempt to communicate resulted in was a fit of coughing, which just made everything worse. Obi-Wan picked up a glass of water and helped her drink, and she tried again.

"Did Master Anakin do that?" she asked softly. Obi-Wan sighed.

"As much as I hate to say it- yes, he did."

"Where is he now?"

"Off on a mission. He's truly sorry for what happened, but we can't risk it happening again."

"Does anyone know?"

"Only you, me and him. If anyone else finds out, he could be thrown out of the Order, and that would be dangerous. With the dark side getting stronger like it is, he may easily be seduced and then we'd really be in trouble."

"Will I have to go back to him?"

"I'm afraid, as scary as it may sound, you will have to return to him when he gets back. Until then, you can stay with me. He won't be back for a month or so, though, so you're alright for the time being." _Only for the time being._ Thought Karys _After that, who knows? I'll be stuck with a short-tempered, very powerful Master who nearly killed me, and may or may not try again. Great._

"I'm sorry, but it has to appear as though that little incident never happened, Karys. If Anakin goes out of the Order, who knows what could happen? I'm very sorry, but it's the only thing we can do." Karys nodded silently, resignedly accepting her fate. Obi-Wan looked uncomfortable and left.

Karys decided to see if she could stand up. She swung her legs round so they were dangling over the side of her bed. Gradually, she eased herself forward and into a standing position. As soon as she let go of the bed, however,pain shot out from her ankle,and with asmall cryshe collapsed on the floor in a heap. Obi-Wan was instantly in the room, striding over to help her.

"What did I say?" he chided gently, helping her back into bed. "When you were choked, you collapsed and twisted your ankle pretty badly. You're not going anywhere for the time being. For now, try and get some rest. And there's nothing you can say that will make me let you get up today, so don't try it." He added when he saw Karys's mouth open. She shut it sullenly, leaning back with her arms crossed. "And don't look at me like that either. Maybe tomorrow you can get up, but for now just try and pass the time as best as you can."

Karys sighed as he left the room. It was going to be a long day.

0-0-0

It was a month before Karys was walking again. When he had called with some news, Karys had begged Obi-Wan to tell him she was asleep- she really didn't feel up to talking to him. But in a couple of days, she would have to face him again when he returned. She had definitely not forgotten the choking incident, she still had the nightmares, which had mixed with the ones she'd had before to give her very little natural sleep, especially now she was going back to Anakin. Although it was bad, she couldn't help wishing that the Outer Rim wars had gone worse.

But it was too late for that now. A Jedi Starfighter was coming in to land, and the pilot had a Force-Signature that she'd hoped never to see again.

It was time to face her fears.


	6. Facing Fears

A/N SORRY! I am SO sorry it took so long! I just didn't want the reunion to be really cliché so I rewrote it loads. Thanks for your patience and if anyone's still reading, here's the next chapter!

Chapter Six

Anakin stepped into his quarters for the first time in three months. Closing his eyes, he allowed the familiar sensations to wash over him. The general sense of disorder amidst the serenity of the Temple. Cluttered things, cluttered thoughts. And the unfamiliar waves of… well, it was a mixture. Fear, resentment and apprehension, they all radiated from the small window seat. He opened his eyes. Karys sat there, back to the frame, arms loosely encircling her legs, pointedly looking out of the window instead of at him. The relative light from outside filtered around her, casting a shadow in the tense silence of the room.

"Hello." The voice was small, emotionless, but a welcome relief from the silence. Anakin nodded, though Karys couldn't see it. He eventually managed to speak.

"You hungry?"

"No." The curt reply heralded the silence's return. Anakin sighed, then headed for his room.

0-0-0

The tension continued for several days. Whatever Anakin said would be replied to with words of one or two syllables, even when they trained together. He still hadn't managed to say sorry, but eventually he grew tired of constantly feeling on edge around his Padawan, so one morning he arranged for meditation to take place in the living area of their quarters. Karys, as usual, sat in silence, head bowed. He watched her for a few minutes, trying to think of something to say. Eventually he opted for the straightforward option.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. There was no response. "I said…"

"I heard." Karys' voice was muffled by her hair as she made no attempt to look at him.

"I mean it. Please, Karys. This is just getting…"

"What?" She raised her head and looked straight at him. "Hard? What do you think it was like when you strangled me? All those days since, scared you'll do it again. _That_ was hard."

"Karys!" Anakin was starting to lose his temper. Then the meaning of her words hit him, and he fought to keep his anger in check, dreading a repeat of the last time he had lost it. "Look, I said I was sorry. And I meant it. About everything."

Then he ran out of words to say and trailed off. But the silence was tempered this time by… it was impossible to describe what the Force was doing. A weight quietly lifted itself off Anakin's shoulders, bit by bit, and, though Anakin did not know it, Karys found that some of her anger and fear began to slip away too. The silence now settled around them with an odd feeling of wordless acceptance and forgiveness.

0-0-0

Obi-Wan smiled. He sensed the change. Even though Anakin was no longer his Padawan, and Karys never had been, he still had a strong bond with the pair, and had sensed the resentment between them. _'And about time too,'_ was the first thing that came to mind. And it was. Anakin was certainly growing up. If Obi-Wan had known what it was to be a proud father, it wouldn't have felt very different.

0-0-0

Palpatine scowled. He sensed the change. He had so hoped the resentment would force them apart. It was so vital that it happened, but it seemed he would have to continue his wait. IT wouldn't be too long, he was sure, before something else came up.

0-0-0

Karys blinked. It was as though she was looking at her master with new eyes. The fear of him was still there, it could never fully vanish, but the resentment was gone. A man who wasn't too much older than she was herself stood before her. The Force whispered through the room, wordlessly soothing, and she smiled for the first time in three long months.

0-0-0

Anakin saw the smile and returned it, feeling so much better now everything was out in the open. He stood, offering Karys his hand. She took it and got up. Then, startling him slightly, she hugged him. After a second of confusion, he returned it.

"I'm sorry," he heard her say, her voice muffled slightly by the folds of his cloak. His smile broadened as he held her at arm's length. Finally, he could see forgiveness in her eyes. The last of the weight vanished as he hugged her again.

0-0-0

Within the next few days, a call came from Padmé. Thanks to her schedule, she had been off-planet for three weeks and had finally managed to arrange some time to see Anakin, who leapt at the chance. Karys raised her eyebrows slightly when he told her, but agreed to stay at the Temple and Anakin was quickly on his way to the private apartment of Senator Padmé Amidala.

0-0-0-0-0

A/N Again, really, really sorry this took so long. The next chapter will be longer, and a lot quicker to arrive, I promise. If anyone's still reading, thankyou so much for your patience.


End file.
